Flirting with Temptation - By Kelley St. John Page 0,5
out what the folks at the center were thinking, and then she started putting it in action.” Granny sounded quite impressed.
Babette was too, right up until her new technique cost her another job.
“Okay, so what does your learning how to read body language have to do with you getting fired from Shady Pines?” Clarise asked.
“Something to do with Lambert Wiggins and the lady from the quilting class? And I know Lambert, of course, but you’d better fill Clarise in,” Granny said.
“Okay. Lambert Wiggins, an eighty-two-year-old with a sweet smile, signed up for the quilting class. That was odd to begin with, because he was the only male in the class, but he said his mama used to quilt and he’d always had an interest in it. However, he wasn’t just interested in quilting. He was interested in Joslyn Peal, a sixty-nine-year-old lady in the same class. Reading the two of them wasn’t hard at all. They held eye contact a little longer than they needed to, gave those sideways glances, smiled, you know, the easy signs. So I asked Lambert if he’d like me to formally introduce them. Kind of funny that they’re the age they are and still shy, don’t you think?”
“It’s sweet,” Clarise said, while Granny shook her head.
“Oh, child, you didn’t.”
Apparently, Granny knew the story behind the story, but Babette had been clueless. “I did. I talked to both of them, found out they were interested in having a date, and then I brought in all of the necessities for a candlelight dinner, music, good soft food—he has dentures—and everything for a night of elderly romance.”
Clarise grinned. “How sweet! So what went wrong?”
“Joslyn was married, and her husband happened to be Lambert’s canasta partner. The dinner never happened, because Roy Peal found out and took after Lambert in his wheelchair. He had one of those battery-operated state-of-the-art models and nearly put Lambert in the grave when he ran him down. Lambert’s in a wheelchair too, but he’s got the plain old-fashioned type. He didn’t stand a chance against Joslyn’s husband’s motorized chair.”
“So that’s how you started a wheelchair fight.” Clarise smothered her laughter, but it still caused a few glances from the surrounding tables, primarily due to the band’s break between songs.
“Oh, child, I could’ve told you Joslyn’s married. I swear, that woman needs to stop that flirting. Honestly, still trying to make Roy jealous, after all these years. She’s lucky he didn’t have a heart attack.”
“I was lucky Lambert didn’t have one, the way Roy came after him. But he didn’t, just a few cuts and bruises. And I, naturally, got that pink slip with my paycheck. They said I should pay attention to details, particularly wedding rings, but I haven’t grown accustomed to checking left hands of the eighty-plus crowd.”
“Well, sis, I’ve gotta hand it to you. No one loses a job the way you do.” Clarise, still giggling, stood from the table. “I’m going to find my husband and sneak in a dance while the twins are occupied with Olivia.” She started to walk away, then turned back toward the table. “Babette, don’t you think you should go spend a little time with your date?”
Babette and Granny Gert followed Clarise’s line of sight until they spotted Robbie and Jesilyn talking on the other side of the room.
“No, I’d rather him spend time with Jesilyn. Maybe they’ll even make it to a third date.”
Clarise sat back down. “You know, I’m sure the twins are going to be looking at that tree for a while. Ethan and I will have that dance later.”
“Tell you what, I’ll go out to the lobby and check out the big tree too. That way I can help Olivia entertain them a little longer.” Granny stood hurriedly. “I’m sure we’ll keep them occupied long enough for you two to have a sisterly chat, and probably long enough for you to have a dance or two.” She winked at Clarise, then turned and left.
“She thinks we’re going to talk about sex,” Clarise said.
Babette nodded. “I figured that much, but she should’ve stuck around, since I haven’t got anything to talk about anyway.” She reached for Granny’s mostly untouched piece of cake. “You think she’ll mind if I finish this?”
“You know Granny; she’ll go get herself another piece if she wants one.” Clarise grinned. “And she was probably willing to let the cake go to let us talk about how long it’s been since you’ve had a third date.”